CERP Indian River Lagoon-South (C)

May 2024

FACT SHEET

COMPREHENSIVE EVERGLADES RESTORATION PLAN
Indian River Lagoon-South
Construction (C)
Congressional Districts: 20, 21, 22, 23

1. DESCRIPTION

Congress authorized the Indian River Lagoon-South (IRL-S) project in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 and authorized a total project cost increase in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022. The project consists of features throughout St. Lucie County and Martin County, FL. The Indian River Lagoon is identified as one of the most biologically diverse estuarine systems in all the continental United States. The project will reduce the damaging effects of watershed runoff, reduce high-peak discharges, reduce nutrient loads, provide water-quality benefits to control salinity, pesticides, and other pollutants presently discharged to the estuary, and provide water supply for agriculture to offset reliance on the Floridan Aquifer. The project includes about 170,000 acre-feet (ac-ft) of new water storage in reservoirs (C-44 Reservoir, C-23/24 North/South Reservoirs and C-25 Reservoir) and stormwater treatment areas (STA) (STAs C-44, C-23/C-24, and C-25), additional water storage on about 92,000 acres of natural storage and water quality areas (Allapattah, Palmar, and Cypress Creek), removal of 7,900,000 cubic yards of muck from the St. Lucie River and Estuary, and construction of an artificial oyster habitat in the Southern Indian River Lagoon.

2. FUNDING

a. Regular Civil Works funds:

b. P.L. 117-58: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Supplemental:

3. SPONSOR

South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
3301 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406

4. STATUS

The Corps awarded a $198 million dollar construction contract for the 50,600 acre-ft C-44 Reservoir, located in Martin County, FL, in September 2015. Construction was completed in December 2021. The non-federal sponsor, SFWMD, awarded a $101 million dollar construction contract for the C-44 STA in October 2014. Construction of the STA was completed in March 2021. In April 2015, the SFWMD awarded a $40 million dollar construction contract for the 1,100 cfs C-44 Pump Station; it was completed in November 2018. Completion of the entire C-44 Reservoir and STA components was completed in 2021. It is undergoing up to five years of operational, testing, and monitoring before transfer to SFWMD for operation and maintenance.

The Corps awarded a $137 million dollar construction contract for the C-23/C-24 STA, located in St. Lucie County in September 2021. The first construction contract for the C-23/C-24 North Reservoir using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is scheduled for award in FY 24. The SFWMD is scheduled to award the first contract for the C-23/C-24 South Reservoir in FY24. The completed C-23/C-24 project features will provide an estimated 91,900 acre-ft of additional storage.

Land acquisition for the C-25 Reservoir and STA, located in St Lucie County, was completed by the SFWMD in December 2021. The SFWMD awarded a design contract for the C-25 Reservoir and STA in January 2023 with a construction award scheduled for late 2024. Land acquisition for the three large natural storage and water quality areas, located in Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties, the St Lucie River North-fork floodplain, located in St Lucie County, and muck disposal site, located in St Lucie County, is ongoing by the SFWMD.

A Validation Post Authorization Change Report for the IRL-S Project was completed in June 2022 and the project’s revised total project cost was authorized in WRDA 2022. A Project Partnership Agreement for Phase 2 of the project including the natural storage and water quality areas, muck removal, floodplain restoration, and artificial oyster habitat is underway with execution scheduled for 2025.